Signs that Your Torsion Spring Needs to be Replaced

Although most people think that the motor is what lifts a garage door, it’s actually the torsion springs that play the most significant role in raising your garage door. Most garage doors weigh between 150 to 300 pounds, making them extremely difficult to lift manually. Torsion springs support the weight of your door, making it lighter for you and allowing for automatic opening and closing via a garage door opener. Your torsion springs don’t last forever and will need to be replaced at some point. Most varieties last about 10,000 cycles on average, or about five to nine years depending on use. When you start noticing your garage door opening differently, you may need to call an Orange County garage door repair service to visit your Irvine home and inspect your garage door. Here are some signs of a broken or malfunctioning torsion spring:

How Torsion Springs Work

The importance of torsion springs in the functioning of your garage can’t be stated enough, as it’s important to know how they work should they malfunction. Most standard size garages have two torsion springs. Each torsion spring has a pulley on each end attached to cables. When the motor of your garage is activated via opener, the pulleys rotate, and the cables are pulled, lifting your garage door with it. The spring is engaged and uncoils, releasing energy to lift the door. As the door closes, the springs wind up and create stored energy – energy which will be released the next time the door opens. The amount of energy stored by garage door torsion springs is immense, which makes it a dangerous area to repair without expertise. To avoid injury, it’s best to call a garage door repair service when it comes time to repair or replace your torsion springs.

Signs Your Torsion Spring is Broken or Damaged

There are numerous indicators, both obvious and subtle, that indicate that your torsion springs are broken or malfunctioning. Some symptoms that may show that it’s time to replace your torsion spring include:

  • Your garage door opener won’t open the door.
  • The garage door closes faster than normal when using an automatic opener.
  • Your garage door is crooked when opening and closing.
  • The garage door is heavier and more difficult to open when raised manually.
  • The door won’t stay in the up position when raised manually.
  • There is a visible split in the spring.
  • There are signs of rust and corrosion on the springs.
  • Your door emits creaking, screeching, popping, and other complaining noises when opening and closing.
  • The surrounding mechanisms appear worn out.
  • The springs have become elongated or stretched out, resulting in a loss of tension.

You should ideally check for these signs on a monthly basis to make sure that your torsion springs are not broken or malfunctioning. Many of these issues will become apparent through regular daily use, but it is still advised to check monthly. If you notice one or more of these symptoms, be sure to call a professional to have your torsion spring replaced. If a malfunctioning torsion spring isn’t caught or repaired early, your torsion spring could break entirely, which would result in the inability to open or close your garage fully.

Torsion springs carry a lot of weight and tension, so you should never try to repair or replace them on your own. It’s best to leave potentially dangerous repairs to a professional garage door repair service such as All Right Garage Doors. One of our experienced professionals will happily repair your garage door in an efficient and cost-effective manner. If your Irvine or Orange County home could use garage door repair or servicing, give us a call today at (714) 726-2225 for a free estimate.